Podcast
Questions and Answers
What does the apparent time hypothesis suggest about language change?
What does the apparent time hypothesis suggest about language change?
Which example illustrates a recent change in North American English dialects?
Which example illustrates a recent change in North American English dialects?
What is typically true about slang in relation to speakers?
What is typically true about slang in relation to speakers?
What distinguishes lexical changes in language according to the content?
What distinguishes lexical changes in language according to the content?
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Which of the following statements is true regarding language change over time?
Which of the following statements is true regarding language change over time?
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What is a characteristic of generational change observed in language?
What is a characteristic of generational change observed in language?
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Which of the following is an example of a slang word that has become standardized?
Which of the following is an example of a slang word that has become standardized?
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How do sociolinguists view the relationship between time and language variation?
How do sociolinguists view the relationship between time and language variation?
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What is a significant outcome of physical isolation in speech communities?
What is a significant outcome of physical isolation in speech communities?
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How is Quebec French linguistically isolated?
How is Quebec French linguistically isolated?
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What distinguishes Newfoundland English in terms of settlement history?
What distinguishes Newfoundland English in terms of settlement history?
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What would be an example of a social isolation affecting linguistic variation?
What would be an example of a social isolation affecting linguistic variation?
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What change occurs in Quebec French compared to France French?
What change occurs in Quebec French compared to France French?
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What feature distinguishes Modern English from Old English?
What feature distinguishes Modern English from Old English?
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Which of the following is true about physical isolation's effect on Newfoundland English?
Which of the following is true about physical isolation's effect on Newfoundland English?
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Which linguistic aspect did the early settlers of Newfoundland primarily preserve due to isolation?
Which linguistic aspect did the early settlers of Newfoundland primarily preserve due to isolation?
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What is the primary distinction between an accent and a dialect?
What is the primary distinction between an accent and a dialect?
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What term refers to the unique characteristics of language used by an individual speaker?
What term refers to the unique characteristics of language used by an individual speaker?
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Which variety of English has historically been considered the standard in the UK?
Which variety of English has historically been considered the standard in the UK?
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What influences linguistic variation in a community?
What influences linguistic variation in a community?
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Which of the following describes a sociolinguistic marker?
Which of the following describes a sociolinguistic marker?
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What is a characteristic of 'Standard American English'?
What is a characteristic of 'Standard American English'?
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Which characteristic does NOT influence a speaker's idiolect?
Which characteristic does NOT influence a speaker's idiolect?
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What is the significance of the syllable-final (or post-vocalic) /r/ in sociolinguistics?
What is the significance of the syllable-final (or post-vocalic) /r/ in sociolinguistics?
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Study Notes
LING 100 Week 10: Language and Society
- Homework 1 grades released by November 9
- Exam 2 grades released by November 11
- Homework 2 published
Sociolinguistics
- Sociolinguistics is a branch of linguistics that studies the relationship between language and society
- Key questions include:
- What are the social functions of language?
- How does language convey social meaning?
- How do languages work within communities?
- How do people convey and construct aspects of their social identity through language?
- Sociolinguistic norms are a set of social conventions shared by a group of people in their language use
Solidarity and Power
- Even when conversation participants share sociolinguistic norms, the conversation may be unbalanced, influenced by the speakers' relative status
- Status: a person's social position in relation to others
- Participants may signal closeness (solidarity) or social standing (power)
Solidarity/Power Differences
- Diagrams illustrating solidarity/power differences in various scenarios (e.g., a father and his four-year-old son, an undergraduate student and the Dean, childhood best friend, unfamiliar SFU student) provide examples of how conversations reflect these relationships
Forms of Address
- Social factors such as the occasion, social status/rank, gender, age, family relationships, occupational hierarchy, transactional status, and intimacy influence how people address each other
- Different methods include:
- First name
- Last name
- Full name
- Nicknames
- Title/honorifics (e.g., Dr., Mr., Ms.)
- Terms of endearment
- Kinship terms
- Examples of forms of address with Ross Geller
Forms of Address: Pronouns
- In English, using "you" as a pronoun is standard regardless of the distance between interlocutors
- Other languages may use formal and informal pronouns to reflect status and relationship
- Examples (Latin, French, German, Italian, Spanish) showing the different T (informal) and V (formal) forms
Forms of Address: Honorifics
- Honorifics encode social status and express respect and courtesy
- English honorifics (e.g., Mr., Ms., Dr., Professor) precede names
- Japanese honorifics are more complex and nuanced (e.g., -san, -kun, -sama, -senpai, -sensei, -shi, -chan)
Conversation Analysis
- Conversation analysis goes beyond facts and considers how relationships are built and maintained, and how conversations shape social reality
- Conversation analysis (or ethnomethodology) studies how conversations are structured
Turn-Taking
- Turn-taking is an essential part of conversation structure where one person listens while the other speaks
- This is a universal characteristic of all societies
- Examples in ceremonies/formal debates.
- It is not determined in advance in ordinary conversations
- Linguistic and non-verbal cues signal the end of a speaking turn (e.g., addressing the other person, lowering pitch, expressions, releasing posture/gesturing with a hand)
- Cultural norms affect how long pauses are acceptable and how much overlap occurs
Interruptions
- Types of interruptions:
- Cooperative: a partner supplies a missing word or phrase (e.g., "Well I'm not- I'm not fro-, London")
- Intrusive: aims to disagree or change topic.
- Examples of the different kinds of interruptions
Interruptions/Overlap
- Gender and language research from the 1970s observed that women tend to get interrupted more, but more contemporary research recognizes the linkage to power dynamics and solidarity
- Backchanneling, a form of interruption/overlap, involves expressing attention/understanding/agreement without interrupting the speaker's turn
Hedges
- Hedges (e.g., "I think it will rain a little bit") make statements less assertive, expressing probability, caution, or indecisiveness
- Women use hedges more than men, especially in situations with a large power difference.
Repair
- Common "troubles" in conversations include false starts, stammering, errors, and corrections
- Types of repair:
- Other-initiated repair (listener intervenes)
- Self-repair (speaker clarifies/corrects)
Assignment 3
- Analyze a 2-3-minute unscripted conversation from a sociolinguistic perspective using conversation analysis.
- Instructions posted on Canvas
Key Terms
- Accent: Differences in pronunciation (e.g., tomato vs. tomato)
- Dialect: Differences in pronunciation, lexical items (words), and syntax (sentence structure).
- Idiolect: Unique characteristics of an individual speaker's language use.
- “Standard” and “non-standard” varieties of a language:
- Power relationship with the standard language—often the one used in formal learning and media
- Variety of regional, ethnicity, and socioeconomic characteristics (e.g., Standard American English, Standard Canadian English).
Variables Influencing Linguistic Variation
- Time, place, contact, isolation, and community variables (like class, gender, and ethnicity) influence linguistic variation.
Sociolinguistics: A Few Terms
- Sociolinguistic markers are noticeable linguistic variables with social meaning (e.g., syllable-final /r/, -ing pronunciations).
- Variations in pronunciation (e.g., rhoticity in North America vs. England) have implied social meanings.
- Sociolinguistic variables are features of language that people use unconsciously to indicate their social identity.
Regional Variation
- Differences in language use across specific geographical regions. This refers both to pronunciation and vocabulary.
- Examples of words/phrases used in BC, Newfoundland.
Canadianisms
- Words/phrases that are uniquely Canadian.
- Examples: toque, garburator, Kraft Dinner, supper, running shoes (also includes pronunciation variations called "Canadian Raising" and "Prevelar [ae] Raising")
Regionalism
- Language variants displaying strong regional differences in their lexicon.
Other Notes
- Additional information on different aspects of sociolinguistics.
- Included are specific examples for better understanding.
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